Life Today PH

MANILA — A newly formed environmental task force on Thursday sounded the alarm over the alleged ongoing illegal importation of hazardous electronic waste (e-waste) from the United States into the Philippines through the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

The group, Environmental Task Force Against Illegal E-Waste Imports to the Philippines (END E-WASTE IMPORTS), is composed of BAN Toxics, Basel Action Network (BAN), Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) Asia Pacific, Break Free From Plastic – Asia Pacific, Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment, Greenpeace Philippines, Ecowaste Coalition, Center for Environmental Concerns – Philippines, Pangasinan People’s Strike for the Environment, Central Luzon Environmental Action Network, and Kabataan Partylist.

During a press conference in Quezon City, it presented photographic evidence showing factories in Subic laden with e-waste left outdoors and exposed to the elements.

The findings resulted from “Operation Can Opener” (OCO), a monitoring campaign by the global waste trade watchdog BAN, which utilizes GPS tracking devices placed inside non-functional e-waste and commercially available trade data to trace shipments.

Since March 2025, BAN has transmitted 14 OCO alerts to the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), flagging a total of 234 containers of suspected e-waste and one container of plastic waste.

However, the BoC informed BAN that it is restricted from taking action due to an April 2025 Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) ruling that upheld the Subic Bay Freeport as a separate customs territory.

BAN Toxics Campaign and Advocacy Officer Thony Dizon emphasized that the RTC ruling undermines national environmental laws and the Philippines’ obligations under the Basel Convention, a global treaty on the transboundary movement of hazardous waste to which the Philippines is a party, but the United States is not.

“We vehemently condemn the RTC ruling that paves the way for the entry and dumping of imported e-waste in the Philippines in violation of the Basel Convention, as it is alarming and constitutes a clear encroachment on our environmental protection obligations and national sovereignty,” he said.

Under the Basel Convention, the importation of hazardous waste from a non-party state to a party is strictly prohibited, with the only exception being a bilateral agreement that provides environmental safeguards equivalent to or stronger than those in the Convention.

BAN has raised concerns regarding a potential bilateral agreement between the US and the Philippines, which BAN Co-founder and Strategic Direction Chief Jim Puckett warned would violate the Basel Convention.

“This is not acceptable. Countries cannot carve out territories and say that the Basel Convention does not apply there, just to allow hazardous waste trade that does not comply with Basel rules,” he said.

Kabataan Partylist Representative Atty. Renee Co criticized the Subic Bay Management Authority (SBMA) for reportedly pushing to designate Free Trade Zones as “Basel-Convention-Free Zones.”

“We vehemently oppose any move to carve out special exemptions for freeports from our environmental laws and international obligations that makes a mockery of our sovereignty to establish a sacrifice zone for the profit of foreign corporations and the waste of wealthy nations,” she said.

“Kabataan Partylist is prepared to pursue all necessary legislative measures, including pushing for a comprehensive congressional inquiry, to investigate these illicit shipments, expose the entities responsible, and hold accountable any government officials complicit in allowing our country to be used as a global dumping ground.”

GAIA Asia Pacific Deputy Director Mayang Azurin highlighted that e-waste contains toxic substances that contaminate air, water, and soil, threatening the health of surrounding communities.

She warned that the US-led “Pax Silica” coalition could potentially turn the Philippines into a processing hub for global electronic waste under the guise of sustainability.

Kalikasan PNE National Coordinator Cathleen de Guzman similarly warned of the connection between e-waste importation in Subic and Pax Silica, labeling it an “affront to national sovereignty.”

Meanwhile, Ecowaste Coalition National Coordinator Aileen Lucero called on the government to urgently implement a ban on importing hazardous electronic and plastic waste and to ratify the Basel Convention Ban Amendment to resolve the environmental injustice.